Final answer:
Cells must exchange gases, nutrients, and waste with their environment to perform life processes. The selectively permeable plasma membrane allows essential substances in and waste out. The correct answer is that cells exchange gases and nutrients with their environment.
Step-by-step explanation:
To support life processes, cells must exchange various substances with their environment. Plasma membranes are selectively permeable, meaning they allow some substances to pass through while blocking others. This is crucial for the cell's survival, as losing this ability would result in the cell's destruction. For cells to function properly, they must be able to absorb nutrients, oxygen, and other essential materials, and also expel waste products. Transport across cell membranes can be passive or may require energy, especially when it comes to the active transport of ions and essential molecules that the cell spends energy on to maintain specific concentrations inside and outside of its boundaries.
Several mechanisms enable this selective transport, including simple diffusion for small and nonpolar molecules, facilitated diffusion for larger or polar molecules via protein channels and carriers, and active transport which requires energy, often in the form of ATP. These processes are vital for maintaining homeostasis within the cell and for the proper functioning of life processes such as protein synthesis, energy production, and cell division.
The exchange of matter with the environment is fundamental for cells to grow, reproduce, and maintain organization. Thus, the correct answer to the student's question would be that cells need to exchange gases and nutrients with their environment, making option (b) the correct choice.